


Winging It

by RaeDMagdon



Series: Winging It [1]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alien Banging, F/F, Fingering, I learned way more about bird tongues and genitals than I wanted to know on google, Oral, Squirting, Vetra is a top, but this is pretty hot if I do say so myself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 03:03:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10427709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeDMagdon/pseuds/RaeDMagdon
Summary: After Vetra burns the steak she made for Ryder, she's determined to make up for it and prove she has other talents.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooooo everyone! I'm Rae, and I write about queer women (and aliens).
> 
> Please, check out my tumblr @raedmagdon because I have lots of Mass Effect related stuff there.
> 
> Expect a lot more sexy Vetra fics from me in the future, including a second chapter to this one where Ryder repays the favor.
> 
> Also, this Ryder is: emotional, casual, and black (Default Face #7)

Humans are incredibly soft.

Vetra knows that in advance. “No carapace, just skin so thin you can crack through with a claw”, one of her old Milky Way contacts, a grizzled veteran of the First Contact War, told her years ago. What she isn’t expecting is for Ryder’s skin to feel so delicate. So fragile. It ripples almost like water, with visible give as she grasps Ryder’s forearms. Her fingers leave imprints where they squeeze.

Ryder doesn’t seem to mind. She’s still lying on the bed where Vetra has tipped her, propping herself up on her elbows as if awaiting something. Maybe another kiss? Just the thought makes Vetra’s knees weak. Those lips. That’s another thing she’d ‘known’, but hadn’t been prepared for. She’d seen for herself that humans had lips, and she’d been told those lips were very soft, but she’d had no idea until she felt them for the first time. Kissing Ryder is similar to the gentle preening her people do around each other’s mouths, but wetter. Stickier. A little messier. She has quickly grown to love it.

Vetra suddenly realizes she’s staring. Ryder is waiting expectantly beneath her, and Spirits, all the research she’s done and the observations she’s made and the gossip she’s scrounged up have suddenly flown right out of her head. She leans down as Ryder leans up, until their noses bump gently. They still haven’t quite gotten the hang of kissing. With Kett, Roekaar, and Remnants shooting at them every other day, they haven’t had much time to practice. Vetra is determined to make up for that—as well as the overdone meal still sitting on the table.

She climbs onto the bed and kneels above Ryder, hovering, trying to figure out the best way to proceed. While she thinks it through, she indulges herself by running her claws gently through Ryder’s hair—one of her new favorite activities, since turians don’t have any. It constantly moves and parts, almost like a waterfall. She’s unsure, but willing to learn through trial and error if it means making Ryder happy. She inhales deeply, concentrating on the physical sensations. It’s nice to feel Ryder’s lips and breath near her mouth—so warm, softer than the human’s already-soft skin.

The silky glide of Ryder’s tongue along one of her mandibles is even better. It’s wet and smooth and very hot, and it can reach out much further than hers—a discovery that puts ideas in Vetra’s head. She can already feel her plates shifting, and she hasn’t even taken off her pants yet. That’s what Ryder does to her.

She pauses, pulling back an inch. Ryder whimpers a little, disappointed.

“I’m not really sure what I’m doing,” Vetra admits, gazing down into Ryder’s soft, dark eyes. “But I know I want to do it. So I’m just going to wing it here. Okay?”

“I’m winging it too,” Ryder says, and even though Vetra knows it’s an effort to make her feel better, it’s an effective one. It’s also the truth. Ryder is just as clueless here as she is, and she finds that sort of comforting.

She rests her forehead against Ryder’s, enjoying the closeness. “At least we’re in this together.”

Ryder’s face is near enough to hers that Vetra can feel her grin. “Uh-huh. Just like always.”

_ Just like always. _ Somehow, Vetra suspects Ryder is talking as much about the future as she is about the past. She doesn’t know how Ryder can be so certain, with everything falling to pieces around them, but that’s okay. She’ll take Ryder’s certainty. That security. It’s nice to have someone providing that for her for a change.

Still, she wants to return the favor. She wants to make Ryder feel safe and secure too. It’s in her nature, always has been.

Vetra leans in for another kiss, trying to hide the shake in her hands. She manages to grasp the bottom hem of Ryder’s shirt and starts to lift it up. Ryder’s stomach isn’t entirely flat, and Vetra finds herself fascinated by the slight curve. And, oh. Ryder’s hips. They flare out much wider than a turian’s, and for some reason, Vetra can’t stop staring at them.

Ryder laughs. “The fun bits are up higher,” she says, crossing her arms over her front to lift the shirt up and off. Vetra has to dodge an elbow, but she doesn’t mind, because a moment later, she’s treated to a very interesting sight: Ryder in nothing but a bra. Asari wear them too, she knows—she’s seen enough porn—but Ryder looks breathtaking.

Vetra smirks. Ryder will look even better without the bra at all. She removes it, glad it doesn’t have any clasps and simply stretches at the bottom.

When Ryder’s breasts fall free, they literally fall. There is no carapace to keep her chest stable. They move with her arms, with her body, and Vetra’s eyes widen as they bounce before settling. Her curiosity gets the better of her. She strokes the side of a claw along one of the curves, and it moves in the direction she pushes.

Ryder is trying to be patient, but Vetra can sense that she’s a little agitated—or maybe eager is a better word. Her breathing has sped up, and Vetra wonders if having their shirts off makes female humans feel exposed. Turians aren’t like that. No sex organs up top. It makes her wonder just how sensitive Ryder’s breasts are, especially the hard brown peaks in the middle. They’re darker than the rest of Ryder’s already-dark skin. She’s noticed humans come in all sorts of colors, and Ryder is a kind of deep brown with some golden hues underneath.

All that beautiful skin shifts yet again as Vetra takes the stiff point between two claws and tugs. Ryder gasps, which she takes as a success, and her spine arches a little, as if she’s trying to push more of her breast into Vetra’s hand.

Vetra takes the hint. She squeezes the whole thing, still focusing on the nipple, and she’s rewarded with another kiss as Ryder brings their mouths back together. There’s more slippery heat and Vetra’s heart rate spikes. All the cracks between her carapace are tingling with anticipation, and she wants to feel Ryder’s fingers digging into them.

But first, they have to take off the rest of their clothes.

It’s difficult, stripping off her own shirt when Ryder’s breasts are still so distracting. Somehow, she manages to do both, but not before switching to the other breast only to discover that, yes, they’re both equally sensitive.

Ryder whimpers, and her breathing gets even heavier. She isn’t still, though. She reaches her own hands up, running them along the symmetrical plates of Vetra’s chest, and Vetra chirps softly. The center of the plates aren’t that sensitive, but the sides are where gaps of skin show through, and Ryder’s fingers have found them without being told. Human fingers are short, sort of stumpy and blunt, and there are five instead of three, but Vetra is rapidly growing to appreciate them because of how maneuverable they are. It seems like they can fit just about anywhere…

And she has a place she very much wants them to fit.

But not yet. Ryder comes first. She knows humans can come. She looked it up, just to be sure.

“Pants too?” she asks, partially a request, but also a little bit of an order. Ryder gives those out in the field, but they’re in the Pathfinder’s quarters now. Maybe Ryder won’t mind.

Ryder obeys immediately. She shifts back a few inches on the mattress, unbuttoning her pants, and Vetra laughs slightly at her eagerness. She reaches forward to help, but ends up just skimming her fingertips along Ryder’s sides, which is probably more of a hindrance. Still, Ryder manages to get the pants off somehow and toss them onto the floor.

Her underwear is plain, practical, but Vetra finds herself fascinated anyway. There is a small but growing stain in the middle between Ryder’s legs, and it makes the grey material darker. “Spirits,” she mutters. “All that’s coming from you?”

“That’s coming from  _ you _ ,” Ryder clarifies. She hooks her thumbs through the waistband, lifting her hips and shimmying out of her underwear. “Don’t turians get wet?”

They do. Vetra can feel it happening now. Her plates are already open, and her own underwear is starting to cling. But it’s hard to concentrate on her own body’s reactions when every time Ryder takes off a piece of clothing, there’s something new to wonder over. This time, it’s the small patch of black hair between Ryder’s legs. It’s trimmed into a small, wispy triangle, but the lips beneath are bare.

Vetra is so fascinated she forgets to answer the question. There is no protective plating to seal off Ryder’s sensitive parts: only glistening folds that seem to petal out. They look so vulnerable and exposed, and she’s almost afraid to touch even though she’s trimmed and filed her claws just for this occasion. But then Ryder takes her wrist, urging Vetra’s palm to slide up along her thigh, and Vetra recovers some of her wits.

She wants to make this good. Better than the ruined steak, certainly.

Carefully, she slides one of her claws along the edge of Ryder’s lips. The crevice between her legs is burning hot, and very sticky—Vetra realizes the fluid coming out isn’t quite like hers. It’s thicker, and it clings to everything it touches in strands, although it’s still more than slippery enough. It also has a smell—not too strong, but she guesses it’ll grow if she brings her face closer. The smell is alien to her. She can’t find an analogue to help her classify it, but it makes her mouth water. It makes her want to push her fingers deeper and see what she can find.

Ryders little moans and the short, insistent rocking of her hips encourage Vetra to explore further. “This doesn’t hurt?” Vetra asks as she peels Ryder’s lips further apart, just to make sure.

“Not at all,” Ryder pants. “Keep… keep going. You’re fine. I like it.”

Vetra shifts lower for a better view. Her feet are hanging off the bed, but she doesn’t mind. With her face closer to the prize, she can see more of what she’s doing. Ryder’s lips are actually in two pairs, plump outer ones and darker inner ones that lead to an entrance. But the opening there isn’t the only thing she finds. There’s also a small shaft above it, right where Ryder’s hair ends. It shines with Ryder’s wetness, and it seems to be poking out from some sort of hood.

Carefully, Vetra touches it.

Ryder jumps. She cries out, and her thighs twitch as if she’s been overstimulated. Vetra prepares to pull back and apologize, but Ryder is having none of it—she grasps Vetra’s wrist, a clear gesture for her to keep doing what she’s doing.

“What is this?” Vetra asks. She does the same thing she did with Ryder’s nipples, taking the small bud between two claws and rolling it gently.

Ryder doesn’t answer at first. It takes her a moment to catch her breath and she can’t keep still. Her toes curl in the sheets and her stomach clenches. “My clit,” she groans at last, her heels digging into the bed beside Vetra’s elbows. “It’s… it’s the most sensitive part I’ve got. But you don’t have to be gentle with it. I like it rough.”

Vetra smiles. She’s got something similar, but it’s tucked safely inside her, where it doesn’t have to rub against her plates. She suspects it’s not so different than Ryder’s—she’s heard male humans have their genitals on the outside too, so why should it be different for the females? Besides, this way it’s much easier to see where the right spot is.

“You like this,” she croons as she continues testing the waters. Ryder’s clit actually seems to be swelling, growing harder and throbbing with its own little heartbeat. Clear wetness is leaking from the entrance below, and Vetra dips down, gathering more of it on her fingers to make Ryder’s clit extra slippery.

“Y—yes…I…feels good…”

Vetra has never heard Ryder stammer before. Flirt awkwardly, yes, but not stammer. She seems to be losing control of her mouth.

“Really?” Vetra can’t help feeling proud of herself. She leaves Ryder’s clit for a moment, long enough to make the human miss the stimulation. “What about here?” She glides her claws down again, seeking out the entrance she has only grazed before. “Does it feel good when I push in?”

Ryder nods, mumbling something that sounds sort of like an, ‘uh-huh’. Vetra will take it, though. She slides one claw in and lets out a gasp of her own when she feels Ryder’s muscles clamp down hard around her. They’re tight and burning hot, mostly smooth, but with a rippling texture too. It’s close to a female turian’s insides, but not quite the same, and the subtle difference is driving her wild.

“This isn’t hurting you, right?” she asks, just one more time.

“No.” Ryder reaches a hand down to her crest, finding a hold there and dragging their faces close. For a moment, Vetra thinks Ryder is going to kiss her, but instead, the human mutters against her mouth. “Vetra? Listen very carefully. I’m all for soft cuddles and kisses and homecooked meals, but right now? When you’re fucking me? I want you to  _ destroy _ me.”

Like most things that come out of Ryder’s mouth, what would sound stupid if anyone else said it only sounds charming from her. Vetra isn’t going to turn down an invitation like that. She takes Ryder at her word, thrusting her claw the rest of the way in until she can’t go any further.

Ryder wails. It’s possibly the sweetest sound Vetra has ever heard. She starts pumping in and out, using all the flexibility her wrist possesses. Ryder’s fingers dig harder into the sensitive places behind her crest, and Vetra feels her own inner walls pulse. She wishes she had been patient enough to take off her pants, because they’re getting uncomfortable. But she’s not going to stop. Not now. Not while she’s inside Ryder at last, figuring out what makes the human tick. Apparently, she wasn’t lying about liking it rough.

Slowly but steadily, Vetra begins to realize Ryder is pushing her head down. At first, she isn’t sure why. Then it clicks. Ryder’s breasts. They’re right in front of her face and she can guess what Ryder wants her to do. If the tips are as sensitive as they seemed to be earlier, Vetra suspects her mouth will feel even better than her fingers. She draws Ryder’s nipple past her beak, careful not to pinch, and rolls her tongue around it.

Vetra gets an immediate reaction. Ryder’s muscles spasm around her fingers, although the clenching only lasts for a few seconds. When she flicks, Ryder moans. When she nibbles, Ryder squeals and levitates off the bed. There are so many delicious sounds, and she wants to hear them all.

Between her mouth and her claw, Vetra coaxes Ryder into a shuddering mess. Her cries are almost constant, growing louder with every thrust and never quite fading, and she’s so wet and open that Vetra feels confident enough to add another finger. She nips her way across to Ryder’s other breast, putting her shoulder into her rhythm as she works two of her claws deeper into Ryder’s heat.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Ryder hisses, clutching even tighter. “Vetra, your tongue. It’s… _different.”_

Although Ryder’s statement isn’t very articulate, Vetra understands what she means. From feeling Ryder’s, she’s learned that human tongues are soft. Hers has a rasp, and apparently, that’s a good thing. She licks and swirls faster, noticing that each time she does, Ryder spills more slippery warmth into her hand. She can’t help wondering, though, what it tastes like.

She leaves Ryder’s breasts, ignoring the human’s whines and pleas for her to stay. There are no more complaints, however, when Ryder realizes where she’s headed. She spreads her legs wide, and Vetra ducks beneath her knees. Ryder’s calves don’t have spurs on the back, but she has to admit, it’s useful in this instance—they’re smooth as they press into her shoulders.

For a moment, Vetra just stares. Ryder’s entrance is stretched wide around her fingers. Ryder’s clit is still poking out, in desperate need of attention. Ryder is so soft and pretty, and Vetra wants to taste every bit of her. She hooks her claws forward, finding the spot inside Ryder seems to enjoy best of all, and takes her lover’s clit into her mouth.

The moment Vetra’s tongue touches Ryder’s tip, she starts shaking. She trembles from head to toe, calling out something to the ceiling that Vetra thinks is supposed to be her name. Ryder’s skin tastes salty, kind of sweet too, and the smell Vetra noticed before is heavy in her nose. She brushes Ryder’s clit with her tongue again and again, and resumes the driving motion of her claws even as Ryder’s muscles try to trap and hold her in.

“Fuck,” Ryder gasps, and then Vetra feels her soft walls begin to spasm. This time, it goes on for much longer than a few seconds. In fact, it doesn’t stop. Pride swells in Vetra’s chest. She’s pretty sure she’s just made Ryder come.

Her ‘pretty sure’ becomes a certainty when something hot shoots out of Ryder to hit her wrist. It comes in uneven pulses, a little like jets of water, and Ryder goes stiff with each one before melting during the brief moments in between. Her sounds have become less desperate and more relieved, and Vetra decides to stay inside and keep curling her claws. 

That earns her a sob, as well as even more wetness. This time, it runs over her chin, and she can taste some of it. It’s not quite bitter, but it isn’t sweet either. It’s sort of a mix of the two, and it’s delicious. She strains to catch a bit of it in her mouth without abandoning Ryder’s clit through the contractions.

At last, Ryder collapses. She’s covered in sweat—something turians don’t make, but Vetra has learned to appreciate. She looks up to see Ryder beaming down at her, breathing hard.

Vetra raises her head. “So? Was it better?” she asks, although she already knows the answer.

Ryder’s brow furrows, a sign Vetra has learned to interpret as confusion. “Better?”

“Than dinner,” Vetra reminds her.

Ryder laughs. “I forgot all about that. Trust me, this was  _ so _ much better.” Then her smile turns sly. “But… I still haven’t gotten to eat.”

“Oh? Oh!” Vetra shifts out from beneath Ryder’s knees and withdraws her fingers. Although she had a purpose in mind, she can’t help staring at them for a moment. They’re still gleaming with Ryder’s wetness, connected by a few strands. She slides them into her mouth to clean them as she rolls off the bed.

“Where are you going?” Ryder asks, clearly disappointed.

Vetra stops sucking her fingers and brings both hands down to her pants. “Just getting rid of these. They’re in the way of your meal.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I researched way too much about raptor bird anatomy. Seriously.

Turians are alien.

“Hard and spiky all over,” Ryder had overheard a drunk recruit say during her early Alliance days, in some dive she can’t remember the name of anymore. “All over—and they’ve got these weird plate things. I don’t know how they fuck each other without injuring themselves. You couldn’t pay me to do it.”

But as Vetra drops her pants, stalking toward the bed with clear predatory purpose, Ryder can’t see a single thing alien about her. Sure, Vetra’s body is different. Very different. She’s tall, flat-chested, her narrow hips of an equal width with her shoulders—and yes, there are spurs jutting out of them, as well as from her elbows and calves. Her skin is a mottled greyish brown, smooth and hard in some places, speckled and leathery in others.

But she’s just Vetra.

Vetra. The woman who cooked her a steak from scratch—and ruined it. The woman who always has her back in a firefight—and enjoys teasing her about it afterward. The woman who said ‘I love you’ first, even though she keeps everything so close to her chest—her emotions most of all. The woman who can get anything through her ‘connections’, but doesn’t seem to want anything more than to be loved without restraint. Vetra might be hard on the outside, but she’s all soft underneath.

Ryder wants to find out just how soft.

“Come here,” she murmurs, crooking a finger. It’s probably overkill, because Vetra is already climbing onto the bed, swinging a leg over her lap.

Vetra seems to appreciate the invitation anyway. Her dark eyes flash and her low chuckle sends a shiver shooting down Ryder’s spine. “Coming is part of the plan.” Her mandibles shift beneath her sharp cheekbones, and Ryder recognizes the motion as a turian smirk. “If you think you’re up to the challenge.”

Ryder returns the smirk with one of her own. “Oh, I’m definitely up for it.” She places her hand on Vetra’s hip, testing what it’s like to hold her there. It’s sharp, and the bone is easy to feel, but Vetra is also incredibly warm. Her plates feel like metal that’s been sitting out in the sun a while. It’s lovely, and Ryder splays her palm wider to soak the sensation in.

Vetra takes her hand, lacing Ryder’s five fingers with her three. “Want me to show you how?”

Ryder isn’t too proud to take a helping hand when it’s offered. She runs her other palm up along Vetra’s thigh, which she can tell is tense with anticipation despite the protective plating. “Absolutely. I’m good at following instructions.”

That seems to catch Vetra’s attention. “Really?” she drawls, the flange in her voice playful and intrigued.

Ryder can’t help but blush. She hadn’t meant it quite that way, but since Vetra’s gone there first…

“Really really.”

“Then lessons start now.”

Vetra draws the hand she’s holding between her legs, and Ryder gets her first good look at what she has to work with. Instead of outer lips, Vetra has a set of plates. They’re parted a crack, and in between, there’s a hint of soft, shiny, purple-black tissue that looks pretty familiar except for the deep plum color. It’s also dripping with wetness—wetness Ryder eagerly explores with her fingertips.

It’s different than hers, extra light and slippery, kind of like olive oil. And it runs everywhere. Soon her fingers and palm are coated, and she’s barely started testing the waters. The longer she plays, the wider Vetra’s plates open. They spread further apart, showing more slick, rippled flesh that leads toward an entrance.

So much for turians not being soft.

“How much of this are you feeling?” Ryder whispers, not even trying to conceal her awe. Her eyes are locked onto what her fingers are doing, onto the beautiful treasure between Vetra’s thighs.

“Enough.”

Vetra’s hips push into her hand, not too hard, but hard enough for Ryder to get the message. Instinctively, she searches for the stiff bud that humans have, but there’s nothing to be found: just more heat.

“Where’s your… do you have a…” Her smile falters a bit. “Damn, I should have researched this better, huh? It’s just, with the kett and everything…”

Vetra doesn’t seem upset about it. “Nothing like hands-on research anyway—eh, Ryder?” One of Vetra’s hands cups her cheek, tilting her chin up until their eyes lock. “Go inside and push up. You’ll find it.”

Ryder does exactly what Vetra says: goes inside and pushes up. Vetra fits perfectly around her fingers. It’s a familiar sensation, all that grasping muscle, almost like being inside herself—but the firm, swollen spot she feels with her fingertips definitely isn’t.

“Is this it?” she asks, but she already knows the answer, because as soon as she prods it, Vetra’s hips give an unsteady jerk over her lap.

“Mmn…”

After a few exploratory thrusts, Ryder figures out that she can slide two of her fingers on either side of it. That works even better. Soon, Vetra’s pelvis is making a constant rolling motion. She breathes heavily, and even though it’s not very visible because of her carapace, Ryder can feel her shiver.

Ryder bites her lip, doing some mental calculations. Vetra’s clit—or whatever it is—isn’t that far past her opening. Maybe an inch? In the right position, she could probably reach it with her tongue.

Great minds must think alike, because Vetra seems to come up with the same idea at the same time. She lifts herself off Ryder’s fingers and places a hand on her shoulder instead, pushing her gently but insistently onto her back.

She doesn’t need to explain why. Moments later, her knees are beside Ryder’s shoulders, and those wicked looking spikes on the back of her calves actually make for useful handholds. Ryder grasps them. In this position, with Vetra kneeling over her, the turian looks even taller than usual. It’s definitely a view she can appreciate.

“Do humans do this with each other?” Vetra asks. She doesn’t quite lower her hips, but her intent is clear.

“This position? Sitting over someone? Yeah, we do.”

Vetra’s claws find her hair. They always seem to find her hair, and Ryder can’t help but wonder if she’s developing some kind of fixation with twirling it. Then Vetra pulls, guiding her head up, and Ryder suddenly finds her face an inch away from the dark, dripping heat she’s only felt with her fingers so far.

It takes her a moment to get her bearings. Vetra is absolutely beautiful up close, and the smell is like… she isn’t even sure. Some kind of flower? Something sweet, anyway. Something she has no problem at all putting her mouth on. Carefully, she swipes her tongue flat along Vetra’s folds.

Vetra groans. Her grip on Ryder’s hair tightens, and Ryder takes that as a sign of approval. She tries a few more strokes, getting used to the taste, which, to her surprise, isn’t quite as strong as the smell. When Vetra mumbles her name—“Ryder, yes, keep going,”—and grasps the back of her neck for more leverage, Ryder’s confidence swells. She uses her tongue to tease apart Vetra’s soft inner lips, searching for her opening.

It’s not hard to find. Vetra is wet and open for her, and Ryder stretches her jaw to the limit as she thrusts her tongue inside.

“Oh… oh! You can fit it in… oh… Spirits…”

Vetra seems surprised, but also undeniably excited. Her muscles are shivering, and Ryder works her tongue as deep as she can. To her delight, she can reach the swollen nub along Vetra’s front wall with the tip. She rolls her tongue against it, and she’s rewarded with a hot rush of fluid against her chin.

She’s also rewarded with a constant stream of sighs. Apparently, Vetra is quite vocal during sex, because her noises aren’t at all restrained. She groans, hums, and does something that almost sounds like chirping, if Ryder had to put a word to it, but it’s clearly a sound of pleasure. It’s absolutely adorable.

Ryder begins thrusting, ignoring the ache building at the corners of her jaw. The slight discomfort is more than worth it to make Vetra feel good.

“You’re—you’re so soft… and deep…  _ fuck, _ Ryder.”

The dirty word has Ryder chuckling a little against Vetra’s folds. She’s heard Vetra let a ‘damn’ slip now and again (usually in reference to the Kett), but she isn’t the heavy swearing type—not like Drack, anyway. Her words are carefully chosen, and the fact that she’s chosen this one, which is all expressive passion, has Ryder’s stomach erupting in butterflies. It’s yet more proof that Vetra’s aloof attitude is all an act, at least for her. She loves that she’s the one who can crack through Vetra’s shell.

With even more determination, she runs her tongue over Vetra’s clit again and again. Another surge of wetness smears along both of her cheeks, but she doesn’t mind. She welcomes it, even when a little of the mess leaks into her tangled hair. She wants everything Vetra has to give, no holds barred.

She gets what she’s after. Vetra stiffens and shivers above her, crying out something indecipherable, and Ryder feels the turian’s muscles seize up and begin to twitch rapidly. The firm spot under her tongue swells even larger, and then more heat pours into her mouth, filling it with silky-sweet fluid.

Ryder swallows, following the frantic motions of Vetra’s hips as best she can. It’s hard to keep up, and she slips off-target a few times, but her efforts seem to be working, because Vetra’s release lasts a long time. She grunts and mutters and pulls Ryder’s hair harder than usual, and Ryder lets Vetra’s fierce hold guide her motions. It’s nice, having someone else direct her movements and show her what to do for a change. Calling all the shots on the Tempest can get tiring sometimes.

At last, Vetra starts to slow down. She lifts up, panting, and without her visor in place, Ryder can see just how deep and lovely her eyes are. They’re full of love and affection, and Ryder hopes her own eyes show the same feelings.

“So? How’d I do?”

Vetra chuckles. “For winging it, I think you did great.”

“Really?”

“Really really,” Vetra teases.

Ryder grins. “Great enough for round two?”

“Ryder, we aren’t even finished round one.”

Vetra changes position, lying on top of her again. As their mouths meet, Ryder can taste a bit of herself mixed with the lingering flavor of Vetra’s release, and the two flavors are even better together. Vetra’s hard body is comforting on top of her soft one, and it’s a bit like a furnace, radiating warmth. She wraps her arms and legs around Vetra’s torso, pulling her extra close, letting the heat seep into her skin.

When two of Vetra’s claws peel apart her lips, Ryder’s body doesn’t offer any resistance. She’s still soaked, and Vetra slides into her easily. She whimpers as Vetra begins pumping, wriggling to try and rub her clit against the heel of Vetra’s hand.

To her credit, Vetra figures out what she’s after quickly. She adjusts her angle slightly, giving Ryder plenty of purchase. “I think I like how humans are set up,” Vetra croons by her ear, bending down a few inches to make up for the difference in their height. Even lying face to face, it’s noticeable. “It’s so easy to reach you.”

“I like how you taste,” Ryder mutters between deep, tangling kisses. “I like how you feel on top of me. I like how far your claws reach—uhhhn…”

Vetra pumps even further, sinking deep enough to hit her cervix. Even though she’s not very sensitive that far in, Ryder groans as Vetra prods it. “You’re kind of shallow,” Vetra comments. “Are you sure this doesn’t hurt?”

“N—no… feels… feels good…”

“Good.” Vetra thrusts faster, and Ryder jogs her hips instinctively, matching the rhythm. It’s been a very long time since someone has taken her this way, roughly, just the way she wants—and that’s not even counting 600 years in cryo.

Vetra’s claws curl into her front wall, hard, and the pressure has Ryder wailing into the turian’s shoulder. She can’t help it. Somehow, Vetra has found the perfect spot to push against. “Do humans have a spot there too?” Vetra asks, but Ryder can’t answer. She can only whimper and suck at one of the leathery parts of Vetra’s neck that her plates don’t cover. Her skin doesn’t have much of a taste, but Ryder enjoys running her tongue over it anyway.

Even though she can’t form words, Vetra seems to take her desperate whines as a yes. She hits the same spot again and again, and Ryder’s vision begins to swim. She squeezes her eyes shut and squeals as Vetra drives another orgasm out of her, forcing her into a series of swift, merciless contractions.

Ryder comes so hard she can’t remember her own name. She remembers Vetra’s, though, because she screams it as she spills into her new lover’s hand. Shivers tear through her body, and Vetra seems to take pride in them, because Ryder can hear her crooning again, a noise she’s come to associate with Vetra trying to soothe her.

“Yes,” Vetra murmurs beside her ear, nipping the lobe just a little. “Come for me. I love feeling you come for me…”

“Love you,” Ryder blurts out without thinking. Fear spikes through her heart for a moment, but it fades quickly, because Vetra says, ‘I love you too’ and makes it all right.

Ryder blinks away a few tears. She was incredibly close to saying it herself before their dinner date, but she’s endlessly touched that Vetra was the one to say it first, to breach that final barrier and name the bond between them.

Her orgasm takes a while to wind down. Though it hit fast and hard, it tapers off lazily, and Vetra is able to wring several smaller spasms out of her before it’s over. She sighs in relief and slumps backwards onto the bed, trailing her fingers through the open cracks in Vetra’s carapace just behind the shoulders.

“Wow,” she breathes. It’s all she can think of to say.

“Yeah. Wow.”

Vetra begins nibbling softly at her neck, and Ryder can’t help but giggle. “Hey, that tickles.”

“Sorry.” Vetra pulls back, looking vaguely disappointed.

Ryder is overwhelmed with affection. “You don’t have to stop. I like it.”

With a chirp of contentment, Vetra resumes what she’d been doing, moving down to Ryder’s collarbone to continue her work there.

“Are… are you  _ preening _ me?” Ryder asks after a little while.

“Yes,” Vetra says, sounding a little confused. “Don’t humans do that?”

“No. Well, maybe? We sometimes kiss and stroke each other afterward, so I guess that’s close to the same thing?”

“Good enough for me.”

Ryder does her best to return the favor. She places soft kisses over Vetra’s crest, stroking circles across the middle of the turian’s back. They stay that way for several minutes, cuddling and learning each other’s bodies with breaks for soft kisses in between.

“Does this mean you’re moving into the Pathfinder’s quarters?” Ryder asks, breaking the silence.

Vetra chuckles. “Why not? As long as you don’t mind sharing your space.”

Ryder beams. She hadn’t been sure Vetra would say yes. “I want you here. I just thought you might not be ready, because… well. It’s a small ship. People will talk.”

“Ryder, everyone already knows about us.”

_ That _ statement comes as a shock. “What do you mean? I didn’t tell anyone but Lexi, because I needed some allergy pills. And she’s a doctor. She’s not supposed to—”

“It’s not Lexi’s fault,” Vetra said. “It’s Sid’s. And Drack’s. She spilled during our last visit to the Nexus, and the old man’s a gossip. So now the whole ship knows.”

“And you don’t mind that?”

“Why would I?” Ryder gazes up at Vetra’s face, but sees nothing but happiness there. “I’m not ashamed to be with you, Ryder. I’m flattered you chose me.”

“It feels like you chose me,” Ryder says with a laugh. “It took me  _ months  _ of flirting to get you to respond.”

Vetra’s eyes dart to the side. “I honestly thought you were joking. People don’t usually… care about someone like me.”

“You mean someone kind and sweet, who gives everything to the people she loves? Why wouldn’t I care about someone like you?”

Vetra sighs, nuzzling her neck. “Well, when you put it that way…” Her claws shift, and Ryder realizes they’re still buried inside her.

“Again?” she asks, smiling at Vetra hopefully.

“Are all humans this insatiable, or just you?”

“Are all turians this sexy, or just you?”

Vetra snorts. “I hope you don’t want to do this with every turian you meet.”

“Nope. Just one.”

“Who is she?” Vetra asks, pretending to be grumpy. “I’ll shoot her.”

“You ass,” Ryder chuckles. She wraps her fingers around the back of Vetra’s neck, leaning up for another kiss.

Their lips stay joined for a long time afterward as they resume their rhythm.


End file.
